Pipe-ball.



R. HERMAN & S. A.`KNAPP.

PIPE BALL.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.18, 1909.

1,173,963. Peteneed Feb.29,1916.

l 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

AI/VlTA/z/Ess NVENTORLY By ze /01 Mme# l PH Co., wAsmNumn D c UNITEDsTATEs PATENT oFFioE.

EEI'NHOLD HERMAN AND SANFORD A. KNAFF, OF GRAFTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIFF-BALL.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, REINHOLD HERMAN y andSANFORD A. 'KNAPrg citizens of the United States of America, residing atCrafton, inthe county of Allegheny and State of- Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new useful Improvements in Pipe-Balls, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference f being had therein to theaccompanying drawing.

Our invention relates to lmprovements in pipe balls for use inconnection withthe welding of pipes. l

Pipe balls as heretofore and as at present generally used, have. beenYmade from cast iron, generally of what is known in the trade as grayiron. The life of such a ball is extremely short, due to a number ofcauses, for instance, the ball may be made too hard, or too soft, intheV casting operation; again, the high degree of heat towhich suchballs are subjected causes-the face ofthe ball to scale, and as thisscale must be removed before the ball can be again used, the originaldiameter. of the ballis destroyed, thus rendering the ball useless forfurther welding of pipe of the diameter for which the ball was firstused. Again, this scalingv of the ballk oftentimes resultsin'the faceofthe ball becoming pitted, rendering it worthless for further use thanas scrap for. re-melting. As a` rule therefore, the life ofv a cast ironpipe ball does not exceed six passes andfeven this number may not bemade without allowing. the ball sufficient time to cool between passesthat the same may n otl become soft due to the high heating, andcrushed7 under pressure to which it is subjected.

. The main object `Of our invention is to provide a pipe Y,ball in whichthe pressure face will remain` serviceable for use a multiple number oftimes that of the similar Vface of the balls now in general use.

A further object is `,to provide a ball which requires a minimumamountof treatment afterbei'ng used in the welding operation.

A further Objectis to provide a ball having its outer and inner facesformed of different metals permanently connected together. Y

A further Objectis to provide a ball having an annular spaceintermediateits exposed faces, said spaces being open toward the-buttend of the ball. Y

specifiatip'n of Letters Patent.

' Paternalv Feb. 29, 1916.

Application led January i8, 1909. Serial No. 472,988.

A further object is to provide a self-tempering ball. Y

. A further Object is to provide a ball hav- Y ing a surface capable-ofbeing lubricated.

To these and other ends, the nature of which will be readily understoodas the inv ention is hereinafter disclosed, our invention consists inthe improved .construction and combination of parts, hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawlngs, and particularlypointed lout in the appended claims'.

In the drawings, in which similar reference characters indicate similarparts in each of the views, Figure' 1 is a longitudinal sectional viewof an ingot, cast or molded with a soft iron core or center and aself-hardening steel body portion, Fig. 2 is a view in elevation showingthe ingot removed from its mold and turned up so as to form a pluralityof pipe balls to be separated, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional viewof one of-the balls shown in Fig. 2 in its finished form, viz., with theinner lining formed by boring out the center' of the core shown in Fig.l, Fig. 4 is a similar viewfshowingthe core entirely removed, Fig. 5 isa longitudinal sectional view taken through a mold and showing ametallic core, a plurality of balls cast thereon, and the pouring ductsor gates for casting the balls from a single gate, the balls beingseparated from each other, Fig. 6 -is a view in elevation of the ballsshown in Fig. 5, the balls being connected by the core, Fig. 7 is a viewin longitudinal section of one of the balls shownv in Figs. 5 and 6, theball being in its completed form, Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectionalview through a mold and showing a plurality of balls cast around ametallic core, and having a series of sand cores arranged around themetallic core, Fig. 9 is a viewzin elevation of a series of connectedballs formed in the manner shown in Fig. 8, Fig-10 is a view inelevation of one of the finished balls shown in vsteel.V VThe ordinarysteel metal vdoes :not-,1

in itself, provide the complete desired result, for the reason that theeffect of loss of temper is similarto that of the castfiron ball, but toless extent.

The self-hardening steel referred to is not readily.` turned, althoughit is possible to obtain the result by turning; better results mav beyobtained by grinding. Further-- more, the steel'does not requiretempering after ,being cast.V We haveffound, 'however,lthat while theball may be made solely from the steel-itself, better results are ob-`tainablewhen the ball is'formed with what` we vterm a hollow metalliccore preferablyV permanently secured therein', and forming a lining forthe ball,fsaid core being formed of a different metal, such for instanceas soft iron or ordinary'Bessemerf steel. This permanently yproduces acoat'- ing or lining to theinterior of the ball and 4 which is' formedofa metal which rapidly cools` and thereby provides a permanent ichilling member within the ball, which, inl 2-5" additionv'to theexposed outer surfaces of the ball; provides for a reasonable lrapidityof cooling effect on the ball. 1 I s In USB, the pressure face of theball is comparativelyl free froinscales, Yand ifiV formed at all, areofsuch slightcharacter as tobe readily removed without affecting thesurface to` any appreciable extent. And

' the chilling of the ball both interiorly and exteriorlyhas the effectof restoring the normal temper of the ball,fso that'its temper( is notmateriallyaffected by thecOntinued y USG. l f

' Referring tofthe drawings, lwe will rst describe the ball and then oneform of making -it,.the different forms being taken upl successively. Yt

vIn Fig. 3, the ball orl is shown as'formed of a steel body portion -bhaving its exterior ofV theusual form oflpip'e balls, the

pressure Qface being indicated at 20, it being :that portion which is'of greatest di- Y ameter. [The ball in, this form is made by providingan ingot AA as shown in Fig.1,

having a soft iron core B and a self-hard-v ening steel body` portion CJThe ingot is then turned or ground to provide the ball shapes a shown inFig. 2,'*and then the several balls areseparated and the-soft iron coredrilled or bored'out so as to provide the central opening b (Fig. 4')for the mandrel. Or-the ingot may be cut into proper lengths and theneach length turned .Y up and bored out as abovedescribed. In the'formshown in Fig. 3, the entire core `is not removed, the opening being ofless diameter than the core, 'and being 'arranged centrallv of the core,'there is provided a metallic lining 02 permanently secured to the bodyportion. In .the form shownlin Fig. l, the'entir'e core is boredout, theball,

in thisl case having nopermanently secured lining. The ball, in thisform as in the madesingly, but Y"for the purpose of cheapness 1nmanufacture, we prefer to form in `thisfinstance, an ingot from which aVphiv.other forms presently described, may. be v rality of balls maybe'made, and. they descr'iption ofthe casting operations will beAbasedron such preferred form of operation, 1t being understood, however,that the same process will serve to formthe vballs singly.`

To form the ball as shown in Figs. 5 to 7,*fthemold may be of anydesired character, f Y

and after beingformeduby the pattern, a

hollow' core `(preferably of metal) is placed therein,the core Zextending beyond the ends of the mold cavities, as fshown in Fig. 5,'toprovide av proper supportrfor the of balls formed, all of which areconnected Themetal for thebody portionfis then poured into' the mold,and a plurality. 85

together on=the core d. vWhenv the metal il vhas cooledsufflciently topermit its removal from the mold, .the structure is'removed therefrom,whereupon the chilling action `of of the body-portion passes during thecastf.

ing operation.` vThe interior openingof the lining is shown ofequaldiameter from end toend.l f l i The bau ShowainrigSf 87507117.differs4fromthat Shown in rig; 7,111 that the body' portionA is not inmetalliccontact-with the core throughout the .length of-the openingst,t annularSpaces dbeing formed aroundlthel` core, said spaces being connectedtogether4 by connecting openings e', the core, however',k

being 'securedto the body portion at the point :of the ball Vandadjacent itsl butt end'. The spacescllfserve to permitof theentrancetion .of air withint'her pipe prior tof-being y of air between the coreandthe body-portion.l

to form a direct 'air chill 'insteadof thein-- direct air chillproducedfby the metallic core., These lspaces open toward thebutt end oftheiball and therefore do ynot produce a,y circula- 1 `brought into thewelding mechanism, any A exitA of air therefrom,r due to the increase'ofheat, causing :the air-to `pass. into Contact with `the welded portionof thepipe.V The. core in this vconstruction is provided ,with

vent openings-e to allow. the-escapeiof hot gases during casting whichmay be conduct:V

ed from the ends of.the1 core lout through the mold in any desiredmanner. ,f

- As abovefin'dicated Yeither vmethod of manufacture maybe used to formthe ball shown inconnection with any of the remaining methods oflmanufacture, Ithe drawings being intended to illustrate different formsof balls and also different methods of manufacture, none of the methods,however, being necessarily specific to any specific form of ball.

The use of the ball is believed to be clear from the description ofoperation as hereto! fore pointed out. In addition thereto, however, itis to be noted that, if desired, the ball, after its discharge from thewelding mechanism, may be subjected to the action of a lubricant or alubricating bath, the particular lmaterial 'of which the ball .is madepermitting an elicient use of a lubricant on Y the frictional surface.

Having thus described our invention and pointed out several forms 1nwhlch 1t may Vbe provided and several different methods which may beemployed to produce theresult, but without pointing out all of thevarious changes or modifications which m-ay be made therein within thescope of the appended claims, what we claim as new is:

1. A pipe ball for pipe welding operations comprising a body portionhaving an operating face formed of a met-allie material adapted toprovide an eXcessof fteen passes of pipe, the operating face remainingsub-l stantially constant on a cross section of the ball throughout thepasses, whereby the internal diameter of each pipe will be substantiallyuniform from end to end and the similar diameters of all of the pipeswill be substantially constant, said body and its face being integral,the material of said face and body being steel.

2. A pipe ball for pipe welding operations comprising a body portionhaving an operating face formed of a metallic material adapted toprovide an excess of fifteen passes of pipe, the operating faceremaining substantially constant on a cross section of the ballthroughout the passes, whereby the internal diameter of each pipe willbe substantially uniform from end to end and the similarv diameters ofall of the pipes will be substantially constant, said body and its facebeing integral, the material of said face and body being self-hardeningsteel.

In testimony whereof we 'aiHX our signatures in the presence of twowitnesses.

REIN HOLD HERMAN. SANFORD A. KNAPP. Witnesses:

CARL R. HERMAN, ERNEST PAYNE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

